Has it only been a few days since I last posted? It seems like a lifetime ago. The world has gone mad and had to shut down because of COVID-19.
Italy is now on a lockdown, as well as Malaysia while Australia has closed its borders to all incoming flights. Stock markets around the world are at a tailspin while economies are spiraling down.
It has only been 6 days since the government implemented the lockdown but it feels like we had been under it for a month. And take note, we will still be under lockdown for another 3 weeks and one day. I see anecdotal reports on Twitter that some people are lining up at the pawnshop because businesses/means of livelihood have been shut down.
Empty vegetable section and meat chillers at Shopwise. These photos are owned by callmecreation.com
I don’t know how long we can keep at this. So many people going hungry now–the daily wage earners, the PUV drivers, street vendors…
Doctors, young and old, are dying here in the Philippines…and elsewhere. This stupid government has not taken this pandemic seriously and chose to protect the interests of China before its own people. It didn’t prepare for the event that we will be infected. We don’t have enough test kits, we don’t have enough laboratories, we don’t have enough facilities and healthcare workers.
My God, what are we to do? Please, Lord, protect the most vulnerable–the poor.
And in these troubled times, we need to find beauty in unlikely places to make us sane.
Sunset somewhere in UP Diliman. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com
Just because. Sometimes we want fresh air. Sometimes we just want to be artsy fartsy.
Karnabal by Salingpusa Group. Pintô Art Museum, Antipolo, Rizal. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com
Pintô (“door” in Tagalog) Art Museum sits on a two-hectare garden in a subdivision in Antipolo, Rizal. I’m sorry, I’m pretty useless when it comes to direction on how to take the public transport to get to the museum.
I’ve always encouraged the girls to appreciate art so when I have the energy, I bring them to museums like this one. The first time I brought them to Pintô was when they were three or four years old. I remember the exhausting moment when Twin A threw a tantrum and Twin B kept coming back to the wire sculpture of the “disappearing man.” They were also scared of the bulol (rice god) displays in the lower gallery
This also captured their eyes
Twins by Marina Cruz. Pintô Art Museum
The museum also has a lot of art installation and sculptures in the garden/outside the galleries. New buildings and gardens have been added in the years that followed after I first brought my girls there. Like this building below, which is reminiscent of an adobe house in Mexico.
Pintô Art Museum. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com. Pintô Art Museum. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com
The nice thing about Pintô, aside from the outdoor spaces, it has a lot of sitting areas. Like the ones below.
Pintô Art Museum. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com Pintô Art Museum. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com
Last month when we went there, we were able to visit the newest and biggest gallery, Gallery 7.
Pintô Art Museum. This photo is owned by callmecreation.comPintô Art Museum. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com
My girl, Twin B, liked the Bamboo Forest art installation.
The first time I visited the Bamboo Forest room, I stayed there for a bit and soaked in the atmosphere. It was strangely peaceful. There were others who appreciated the artificially induced peace by meditating on the benches along the walls.
Pintô Art Museum. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com
Pintô Art Museum. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com One of the posts in the gazebo outside the Mindanao gallery. Pintô Art Museum. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com
Opening hours Tuesday – Sunday 9 am – 6 pm
Pintô Art Museum 1 Sierra Madre St. Grand Heights Rd, Antipolo, Rizal, Philippines
When the world has gone mad, take a breather and have some Vitamin Sea.
Back in Anilao again.
Bagalangit Hideaway, Mabini, Batangas. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com
Booked Bagalangit Hideaway on Agoda, which was on sale this past weekend. The weather was good for freediving. The resort had a seafront access, unlike its neighbor, Bontoc Seaview Guesthouse/Bontoc in Batangas, the customers of which had to use the public access road/footpath to be able to swim. The food at Bagalangit is ok, not spectacular. And like in any other Anilao resort, meals are a bit pricey. It has a dive shop but for other equipment like underwater flashlights and diving donut, you’re better off renting it from other resorts like Anilao Diving. Their office in Marimar Building just a few km from the Anilao Port also rents out motorbikes.
On the way to Anilao Diving to rent the flashlight (PHP 400/night), I saw this beautiful sunset.
Anilao, Mabini, Batangas. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com
The cost of a boat ride to Sombrero Island and some diving spots like the Cathedral and the Castle is standard at PHP 3,500. If you want to go to Masasa Beach in Tingloy Island, it could go up to PHP 5,000.
My boatmen said tourism in Anilao dropped significantly after the Taal volcano eruption. Then it took another hit from the corona virus/COVID-19 outbreak, reducing foreign tourist arrivals, that boatmen like them were barely scraping by. They said if it weren’t for the locals, they wouldn’t be able to earn a living.
After visiting the Cathedral/Castle, I decided to go back early to Bagalangit because I was not feeling well and the water was choppy. Even at Sombrero Island the currents are strong. So I only spent 2 hours diving.
The rest of my stay there was spent sleeping and gazing out in the sea.
Road trip
On the way back to Manila, I decided to take the semi-Taal Lake loop. After Mabini, I drove to the town of Taal, which I have not visited in 30 years. My maternal grandmother had a store there that sold embroidered items like table napkins, table cloths, bed sheets, etc.
Taal Basilica, St. Martin of Tours. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com
The old church is under repair as I understand it sustained damage from the strong Mindoro earthquake some time ago. Then came the series of volcanic earthquakes when Taal erupted in January. Thankfully the interior is still intact.
Taal Basilica, St. Martin of Tours. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com
Then after lunch at Taal Bistro, I drove straight to Starbucks at Twin Lakes in Laurel, Batangas to have a view of Taal Volcano after the eruption.
That brown wasteland is Taal volcano island. Viewed from Twin Lakes. This photo is owned by call me creation.com Watched the sunset at Starbucks at Twin Lakes. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com
It was getting chilly at the outdoor sitting area of Starbucks so I had to get inside to warm myself. And jump to another restaurant in that dining complex to have a savory crepe before driving back to Manila.
From Anilao to Taal, it only took me 1 hr then from Taal to Twin Lakes, it was about 1.5 hrs. Another 2.5 hrs from Twin Lakes to Quezon City. I was almost dead from exhaustion when I got home.
The last leg of our semi-Laguna Loop is the Tanay (Parola) Lighthouse. We wanted to catch the sunset from a different vantage point and have a breath of fresh air while being surrounded by the Sierra Madre mountain range.
Warning: the road (Cong. Tanjuatco Street) going to the lighthouse is verrrrrrrrry narrow. My AUV could barely squeeze through if there are tricycles in the opposite lane. Park somewhere near…probably near Tanay Plaza and just take a tricycle going to the lighthouse.
Sunset over Laguna de Bay, Parola, Tanay, Rizal. The landmass across is Binangonan-Morong peninsula. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com.
We arrived at 5 pm from our stopover in Morong to see the old church, just in time for us to do some sketches. We brought our art materials since I knew the girls would be inspired to do some art.
This photo is owned by callmecreation.com.
This is the road that leads to the lighthouse (and the lighthouse didn’t make it to the frame). We didn’t go there but rather stayed on top of the dike because it was a more interesting spot.
Tanay (Parola) Lighthouse, Tanay, Rizal.This photo is owned by callmecreation.com
Tanay River and the Tanay Lakeshore Dike. Tanay, Rizal. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com
The breeze coming down from the mountain range was cool and it was so relaxing. I am always a provinciana (provincial girl) and made me miss my old life in Laguna.
Farmer guiding his carabao home after wallowing in the lakeshore among the water lilies. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com
We stayed there for an hour or so until the we saw the last few rays of light.
On our way to Tanay, Rizal during our half-Laguna Loop adventure, we stopped for a bit in Morong to catch a glimpse of the old beautiful church in the center of the town. I know it’s an injustice to the town but we were trying to catch the sunset in Tanay so we couldn’t linger.
St. Jerome Parish Church, Morong, Rizal. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com
Angono Petroglyphs. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com
One weekend, we attempted to do a semi-Laguna Loop and one of the stops was the Angono Petroglyphs as requested by one of my daughters. They studied it in Araling Panlipunan (Social Studies) and she wanted to see it in real life, not just in school books.
Remnants of the crispy pata my girls and I demolished. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com
Finding the exact spot is tricky using Waze. It actually is in the border of Angono and Binangonan, hence, the name Angono-Binangonan Petroglyphs on Waze. But the stupid app points to the shooting range that is located within the Eastridge Golf Course but the real location is a little bit further down the road.
This screencap is owned by callmecreation.com
Then you can park at the mouth of this tunnel and you can bring a flashlight to help you navigate the dark tunnel.
The tunnel leading to the petroglyphs. This photo is owned by callmecreation.com.
This photo is owned by callmecreation.com.
You walk further a bit to reach the concrete walkways.
This photo is owned by callmecreation.com.
You have to look carefully to be able to see the stone carvings of the bored ancient Filipinos.
This photo is owned by callmecreation.com.
Do I see stick figures?This photo is owned by callmecreation.com.
Do you see the turtle and the lizard? This photo is owned by callmecreation.com.
Another turtle at the bottom of this photo.This photo is owned by callmecreation.com.
This photo is owned by callmecreation.com
We didn’t linger there as we have other interesting things to see around Rizal. Next stop was the Morong Church.
